Customer Ratings & Reviews

“What a cute little espresso machine!” Said my friends who were over for movie night. I agree. It also makes a great cup of espresso. 
When unboxing the unit make note of two important things: the one cup filter basket is hidden in an outer pocket in the packing Styrofoam. I did not notice this and ended up dumpster diving for it after the fact. Secondly, page 6 of the instruction manual needs a lot of help as it is missing proper labels, missing numbers, missing descriptions of the parts…. What you should take note of is that the teeny tiny item improperly labeled as item 12 is a cleaning pin found in a slot on the back of the Tamper Spoon. It is a great location to keep the cleaning pin and should have been spelled out in the user manual. I do not understand why the function control dial is not another button on the front of the unit. The knob is ugly and it only has two settings - top and bottom and I learned that if I don’t get the knob twisted completely in both directions the unit does not function at all. There is an audible beep that happens when I complete the knob twisting but overall I think this should have just been a 5th button on the front of the unit. If the unit powers on and the three remaining lights blink indefinitely and never turn sold, chances are the knob is in the wrong position and needs to be twisted until it beeps. What I enjoy most about the station is that there is not a lot to using it. The hardest part is properly attaching the porta-filter. When that is sorted out just press the single or double-shot for a nice pull.

The Bella Pro Elite Espresso Station is a bare-bones machine, capable of producing tasty single or double shots of espresso, lattes, and cappuccino’s for your pleasure. The unit has a simplistic modern design. It has a pretty small countertop footprint and goes well with my stainless steel kitchen decorum. It can deliver 20 bars of pressure which provides plenty of milk-frothing oomph for my specific needs. It can quickly froth cold milk to steaming temperatures so you can enjoy your favorite beverages. What I disliked about this Espresso Station was the short power cord which hampered my placement choices of the unit (as I don't wish to clutter my countertop with an extension cord). Noteworthy is the fact that this machine isn’t capable of grinding coffee beans. This means you’ll have to purchase coffee that has been pre-ground and ready for use. This is the only true drawback if you’re used to grinding your coffee beans for that truly exquisite coffee flavor. Overall, I’m recommending this bare bones appliance as it works well and prepares outstanding coffee delicacies. It’s like having your own barrister in your home, giving you quality results! If you are looking for an entry level appliance which is simple to use, you found it! Cappuccino is now being served. Buy one and be happy

It's realy baddddddd when you use it................

Bad online best buy customer service. They all liers.

This is a fine, simple espresso maker. Nothing fancy. Gets the job done. It does have a milk frother/steam wand, but, in what I think is somewhat of a glaring oversight, no frothing/foaming mug is included. You can certainly use other mugs or cups of similar shape, but there’s something wholly appropriate about using one of those iconic, stainless steel frothing mugs you see all the time in coffee shops. Having the frothing mug made of metal really matters because the metal transfers heat rapidly, so you can feel how hot the milk is getting by just holding the mug as you’re steaming it. This isn’t true if you use a plastic or, say, styrofoam cup. A glass or ceramic mug would probably work better, but it’s still not as good as metal. Other espresso/cappuccino makers I have seen and used included a frothing mug. I actually dinged this coffee maker one star because of the absence of a frothing mug. I think it’s that serious an oversight. Obviously, you can’t make a cappuccino or anything else involving steamed milk using only what comes in the box. Given the lack of the frothing mug, this coffee maker works fine. It’s easy to set up, it has only a few controls, and it works as advertised. You fill the water container, run the machine once with just water to heat things up, pack the “portafilter” with ground coffee, tamp it down with the included tamper, load it onto the machine, place a coffee mug underneath, and press the button. You can choose to make a single shot or double shot of espresso. You can also put two mugs side by side, one under each spout, and make two single-shots at one time using the double-shot button. There are single and double-shot filter baskets, so you always add the correct amount of coffee. The steam wand is also easy to use. Press the button and rotate the dial from standby to get steam. One other minor comment/annoyance has to do with the photo of the coffee maker and associated parts in the instruction manual. All of the components of the maker are identified, but one of them, called a “cleaning pin,” is so small in the photo that it looks like a blob of ink. You really can’t tell from the photo what it is supposed to look like nor how big or small it really is, and this actually mattered because I couldn’t find it when I was unpacking the box. There’s no mention of where it’s stored (if there is a storage location for it), and I looked through the box and packaging several times and could not find it. I was ready to contact the manufacturer, and then it occurred to me that maybe it’s attached to one of the other parts. This turned out to be the case. It’s actually in the back side of the handle of the portafilter. It would have been nice if this had been mentioned so I’m not tearing my hair out looking for it. I like how relatively compact this espresso maker is. It sits nicely on my kitchen counter under the overhead cabinets. I’ve made several espressos and cappuccinos since acquiring this (I already have a frothing mug), and they all have tasted fine. That’s really what matters, and I have no trouble recommending this espresso maker if you can get past the lack of a frothing mug.

Used high end espresso grinds and always came out burnt. I returned this machine. If you are looking for inexpensive buy a name brand.

Didnt work consistently. Took it back after 2 days.

Did nothing does not brew could not get to work . Tried everything

The first impression is that there is a lot of plastic, and the metal in the portafilter is rather thin. But this is understandable at this price point, and it is not really fair to compare this to the professional espresso machine that I use at my office. This is an actual pump-driven model, and not one of the ultra-cheap steam-powered machines. It actually does make a good cup of espresso, and features a wand on the right side that can dispense either steam or hot water. The portafilter handle comes with two filter cups: one for making a single shot, and the other for making two shots. Just fill and tamp the grinds to the line on the top of the cup and you are good to go. This unit comes with a scoop for the grinds, and the other end of the scoop handle is used to tamp the grinds down. There is a cleaning pin stuck to the handle too, should you need it. One problem that I encountered is that, at first, there was a “plastic” smell that was hard to get rid of from the shots. I ran a tank full of clean water through it, just like the manual recommended. But the bad smell and taste remained. Running a tank full of white vinegar did clear up the problem, and the manual should have suggested this. The only other thing of note is that the user interface is slightly confusing, and reading the manual is a must. Once all four lights are steadily lit, you can pull one or two shots, or twist the knob on the right to get hot water from the wand. To get steam, you press the “steam” button and wait for the button to stop flashing. Once you start to get steam, there is a tiny amount of water that comes out first, but then the steam works well. Another tiny problem is that pressing the steam button again to get back to brew/water mode causes the buttons to flash. According to the manual it should return to normal operation after a while, but for me, it just kept going in the “flash lights” mode for a while, and I had to power-cycle the unit to get back to normal mode. Not really a big deal, but just something to be aware of. The final thing that should be mentioned is that the unit is short. I like to make an Americano, which is espresso with hot water added to dilute it. Well, this unit will only allow a cup with a maximum height of 3-½ inches. So I cannot brew the espresso directly into my mug and then add the water. I have to brew in a separate, shorter mug and then pour the shots into my preferred mug. The water/steam wand is also pretty low to the counter. So if you intend to use smaller cups then this should work well.

Did not work returned twice. I don’t recommend it.

Machine was defective . I wasn’t able to brew coffee cup from machine

The coffee machine no make a stronger flavor and difficult to close

Terrible purchase is so hard to make a simple coffe

Absolutely love it!! Very easy to use, doesn't take up much counter space, fast and effective, i would suggest buying a 51mm tamper that's made out of metal with a good handle to press your espresso. The warming plate on the top is very convenient because it keeps your cup warm so the espresso doesn't lose its warmth. Also, can't get over the price!! Worth every darn penny.

Espresso is just better in my opinion than brewed, I much prefer an American than a regular cup of joe. Also, having the ability to steam milk for lattes for my wife or just steamed hot cocoa for the kids. Also, steaming a cup of Oregon Chai tea takes that drink to a whole new level. While espresso is just better, there are is a large range of prices when it comes to espresso makers, this is definitely going for the value play along with those looking for a small package. The filter basket is pressurized so my inexperience doesn’t show in the taste of the coffee, now if you are trying to learn the art of being a professional barista this may not be a good thing for you, but it is for me. At first, it was weak, like really weak (especially when making a latte, not on the americano), so I measured the shot and double shot, both were set to double the amount of water as what a typical shot is. Following the direction in the book I adjusted the water levels and tried again, it took a couple tries but I got just the right amount to come through the beans (some of the water remains setting the level with just the water shorted me quite a bit the first time). The other thing I noticed is that when I place two cups underneath, it never fills them exactly the same height. If this is important to you, this might be a problem, for me this doesn’t matter in the slightest. At the end of the day I am now getting the perfect water to bean ratio that I need for my wife and I. Steaming the milk is interesting, When the steamer says it is ready it spits a stream of water out for a about 1 second and then turns into steam. I just put a rag there and It is ready to clean up the steam afterwords. Another issue with the steamer is that it doesn’t go long enough. Just milk is good most of the time, unless you are trying to do a larger size drink. When ends up happening is it runs out of water that it was turning to steam. If I am at 130 degrees on my liquid when the beep goes off I can usually make it to 140, otherwise I turn the steamer knob off and hit the steam button again, wait for it to be ready (not too long) and then finish steaming the liquid (milk, chai tea, eggnog, etc). Slightly annoying but also not too unforeseen for a device this size and price. Overall, this is a tiny capable machine, while you give up a few convenience (you will need a short mug or shot glasses and the milk steamer can needs to be shorter as well or the espresso maker at the edge of a counter) I very much prefer the taste of this over a regular coffee maker for anyone with a smaller kitchen this is much better than other espresso makers that are quite large.

This was my first time ever using an espresso machine, and I’ll be honest, it took me awhile to figure out at first. The directions to pre-clean/prime were confusing and not really matching with what the machine was doing. Now that I’ve got the hang of it, the brewing process is very easy. I’m actually looking forward to making coffee instead of going out to buy it. I even used coarser coffee grounds (because it’s all I had) and it turned out great. The portafilter is pretty tight to lock. There’s a couple cool features like the warming feature and the ability to change the volume of the shots. The steam wand shoots out quite a bit of water (I think to be able to make an Americano) so you have to purge it before steaming your milk, but the big drip tray makes that easier/less mess. I do wish the wand adjusted more, rather than just swiveling in/out. Overall, I’m happy with it and excited to experiment with some different espresso drinks!

The steam wand does not work at the same time as the brewer, so making coffee takes a little longer. The espresso is pretty good quality across multiple grind settings, even though you cannot dial the machine in. It's perfect for a low cost machine.

It’s small very good.. the espresso is really good and nice.. very easy to use.. worth buying it..

I absolutely love this espresso machine. The price was amazing for the level of quality I received.

Never thought I would have the need for an in home espresso maker. I was wrong. The price of coffee shop coffee is outrageous and I can now enjoy quality espresso and mochas at home. I was impressed with my first cup from the coffee maker. Easy to follow directions plus clean up is very quick.